Emergency release system for automobile side door

ABSTRACT

An emergency release system is disclosed for use with a side door of an automobile. The emergency release system may include a latch, a cable, and a handle connected to the latch via the cable. The handle may be pivotal through a first range to a stop, translatable to surmount the stop, and pivotal through a second range after surmounting the stop to release the latch.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/337,113, filed May 16, 2016, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to an emergency release system,and more particularly, to an emergency release system for an automobileside door.

BACKGROUND

Automobiles (e.g., passenger cars, trucks, vans, busses, etc.) have sidedoors that pivot on hinges to allow passengers to enter and exit. Aconventional side door is equipped with a mechanical handle that, whenactuated, opens a latch holding the door closed. The door may then bepulled or pushed open.

A recent trend in automobile technology includes the use of a power sidedoor, which automatically opens and closes at the touch of the driver orpassenger. A mechanically actuated handle is not required or provided inthese designs. Although the power side door may be aestheticallypleasing and an ease-of-use improvement over the conventional side door,problems could arise when electrical power supplied to the side door isdisrupted. Specifically, the power side door may not function (e.g., notopen) without electrical power, giving rise to the possibility of apassenger being locked in or locked out of the automobile.

The disclosed emergency release system is directed to mitigating orovercoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or otherproblems in the prior art.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an emergency releasefor a side door of an automobile. The emergency release may include alatch, a cable, and a handle connected to the latch via the cable. Thehandle may be pivotal through a first range to a stop, translatable tosurmount the stop, and pivotal through a second range after surmountingthe stop to release the latch.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to a side door foran automobile. The side door may include a door panel having an uppersurface adjacent a window, and a hinge located at a first end of thedoor panel. The side door may also include a latch located at a secondend of the door panel, a cable, and a handle mounted to the uppersurface of the door panel and connected to the latch via the cable. Thehandle may be pivotal through a first range to a stop, translatable tosurmount the stop, and pivotal through a second range after surmountingthe stop to release the latch

Yet another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to anautomobile. The automobile may include a body defining a front seatopening and a rear seat opening, a front-side door pivotally connectedat a leading end to close off the front seat opening, and a rear-sidedoor pivotally connected at a trailing end to close off the rear seatopening. The automobile may also include a first electrically poweredactuator touchable to initiate unlocking of the front-side door, asecond electrically powered actuator touchable to initiate unlocking ofthe rear-side door, and an emergency release system associated with onlythe front-side door. The emergency release system may include a latchlocated at a trailing end of the front-side door, a cable, and a handlemounted to the leading end of the front-side door and connected to thelatch via the cable. The handle may be pivotal through a first range toa stop, translatable to surmount the stop, and pivotal through a secondrange after surmounting the stop to release the latch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary disclosedautomobile.

FIG. 2 is a perspective illustration of exemplary disclosed doors thatmay be used in conjunction with the automobile of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustration of an exemplary disclosed latchthat may form a portion of the doors of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of an exemplary disclosedemergency release system that may be used to unlock the latch of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is perspective illustration of an exemplary disclosed action thatforms a portion of the emergency release system of FIG. 4.

FIGS. 6-8 are perspective illustrations of exemplary steps foractivating the emergency release system of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure is generally directed to a system that may be used toopen a powered side door of an automobile during an electrical powerdisruption or other similar malfunction (e.g., network and/or componentfailure). The system may allow for mechanical unlatching of the door inthe absence of electrical power. The system may be robust and employ aunique three-step unlatching process.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of an exemplary automobile 10.Although automobile 10 is shown as a car in FIG. 1, it is contemplatedthat automobile 10 may alternatively be a pickup truck, a utilityvehicle, a van, or another type of motorized vehicle. Automobile 10, asis known in the art, may include a body 12 at least partially defining afront-seat opening 14 and a rear-seat opening 16 at each lateral sidethereof. A front-side door 18 may be pivotally connected to each lateralside of body 12 to close off front-seat opening 14. Similarly, arear-side door 20 may be pivotally connected to each lateral side ofbody 12 to close off rear-seat opening 16. It is contemplated thatautomobile 10 could have only a single opening (e.g., only front-seatopening 14) at one or both lateral sides thereof, if desired.

In one embodiment, automobile 10 may be provided with a rear-swing doorconfiguration. In particular, front-side door 18 may include one or morehinges 22 located at a leading end, such that front-side door 18 maypivot open in a direction represented by an arrow 24. In this sameconfiguration, rear-side door 20 may include one or more hinges 22located at a trailing end, such that rear-side door 20 may pivot open ina direction represented by an arrow 26. It is contemplated, however,that in other embodiments, automobile 10 may have a conventional doorconfiguration (e.g., a configuration where both front- and rear-sidedoors 18, 20 have hinges 22 located at only leading ends).

Front- and rear-side doors 18, 20 may both be electrically powered. Inparticular, an electrically powered actuator 28 may be provided for eachof front- and rear-side doors 18, 20. As will be explained in moredetail below, when a portion of actuator 28 is touched or otherwiseactivated by a human operator, the corresponding door may be unlocked,thereby allowing the door to be pulled or pushed open. In someembodiments, in addition to being unlocked in response to thepassenger's touch, one or more of the doors may also be automaticallyopened or closed.

One or more of front- and rear-side doors 18, 20 may be provided with anemergency release system 30 for use during electrical power disruption.Emergency release system 30 may allow for mechanical opening of thecorresponding door when the door cannot be electrically unlocked. In therear-swing door configuration shown in FIG. 1, only front-side door 18is provided with emergency release system 30. By providing onlyfront-side door 18 with emergency release system 30, the risk of arear-seat passenger unintentionally opening rear-side door 20 whileautomobile 10 is traveling (and thereby causing damage to automobile 10and/or generating a safety concern) may be reduced. It is contemplated,however, that both front- and rear-side doors 18, 20 could be providedwith emergency release system 30 (see FIG. 2), if desired.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of front- and rear-side doors 18, 20 mayinclude an interior panel 32, and a window 34 that is selectivelyretracted down into panel 32. Panel 32 may have many different shapes,sizes, contours, and configurations. Regardless of the different shapes,sizes, contours, and configurations, panel 32 may have at least oneupper surface 36. In most configurations, upper surface 36 is generallyflat and generally horizontal. In some embodiments, door panel 32 mayadditionally include an arm rest 35. In these embodiments, upper surface36 is located gravitationally above arm rest 35. In some instances,upper surface 36 may be generally parallel with arm rest 35.

A portion of emergency release system 30 may be connected to uppersurface 36 of each of front- and rear-side doors 18, 20. For example, ahandle 38 of emergency release system 30 is shown in FIG. 2 as being atleast partially recessed within upper surface 36. Handle 38 may belocated adjacent window 34 at a leading end of each panel 32. In thisconfiguration, handle 38 may be visible and accessible from outside ofautomobile 10 (e.g., through window 34). This configuration may allow apublic safety technician (e.g., a police officer, an EMT, a paramedic, afireman, etc.) to open the corresponding door using emergency releasesystem 30 by way of window 34. As will be explained in more detailbelow, handle 38 may pivot forward toward the leading end of panel 32 ina direction represented by an arrow 40 during activation of emergencyrelease system 30.

In some embodiments, actuator 28 described above may also be accessiblefrom inside of automobile 10. In these embodiments, a touchable portionof actuator 28 may also be connected (e.g., embedded within) panel 32.For example, actuator 28 may be located within a generally verticalportion of panel 32 at a location gravitationally below upper surface 36and rearward of handle 38. With this configuration, actuator 28 may beeasily reachable by a passenger of automobile 10 while the passenger iscomfortably seated. In contrast, the passenger may have to lean and/orreach forward and upward in order to reach and activate handle 38. Thismay reduce a likelihood of inadvertently activating handle 38.

When either actuator 28 or handle 38 is activated by the passenger ofautomobile 10, a corresponding latch 42 may be unlocked. Latch 42 may beconnected to an end of each of front- and rear-side doors 18, 20 (e.g.,opposite hinge 22). As shown in FIG. 3, latch 42 may include a lever 44that is configured to engage a corresponding striker 46 connected tobody 12 (e.g., to a door post located between front- and rear-seatopenings 14, 16—not shown). As is known in the art, lever 44 may bespring-biased toward striker 46, and selectively held in place by aseparate locking pawl (not shown). Activation of actuator 28 or handle38 may result in the pawl being moved away from lever 44, therebyallowing the passenger to push or pull the corresponding door anddisengage lever 44 from striker 46. In some examples, actuator 28 mayfurther function to move the latch from a secondary position (i.e., whenthe door is latched, but not closed completely) to a primary position(i.e., when the door is completely closed).

A diagram of an exemplary emergency release system 30 is illustrated inFIG. 4. As can be seen in FIG. 4, handle 38 may be included within anaction 48 of emergency release system 30. Handle 38 may be connected toa cable 50, which extends between action 48 and latch 42. FIG. 4 alsoillustrates a mechanical connection 52 (e.g., a cable), which extendsbetween actuator 28 and latch 42. Connection 52 may function in parallelwith cable 50 to cause the unlocking of lever 44 described above. Cable50 and connection 52 may be housed inside of panel 32.

As shown in FIG. 5, action 48 may be an assembly of components thatcooperate to pull on cable 50 and thereby unlock latch 42 as handle 38is manually activated. These components may include, among other things,a housing 54, a cam 56, and a pivot pin 58. Handle 38 and cam 56 mayboth be disposed within housing 54 and rotatably supported by pivot pin58. Many different designs of cam 56 may be possible. For example, insome embodiments, cam 56 and handle 38 are separate components. In otherembodiments, however, cam 56 could be an integral portion of handle 38,if desired. Regardless of the particular design, cam 56 may beconfigured to pull cable 50 as it is rotated about pivot pin 58.

In some embodiments, action 48 may have a designed failure mode. Inparticular, action 48 may be designed such that, if excessive forces areapplied to handle 38 (e.g., a force exceeding a predetermined thresholdforce), handle 38 may break away from housing 54 while still attached tocable 50 (e.g., directly or by way of cam 56). For example, pivot pin 58may be designed to have a lower strength than handle 38 and/or cam 56.In this manner, pivot pin 58 may fail before failure of handle 38 andcam 56, allowing cable 50 to remain attached to handle 38 and/or cam 56.In another example, a portion of handle 38 and/or cam 56 that engagespivot pin 58 may be designed as a weak point. By ensuring that cable 50remains connected to handle 38 and/or cam 56 even after a failure ofemergency release system 30, the ability to still open the correspondingdoor may remain intact.

As handle 38 and/or cam 56 are rotated about pivot pin 58 duringactivation of emergency release system 30, a stop 60 may be engaged thatinhibits further rotation. Stop 60 may be formed, for example, inside ofhousing 54. Stop 60 may be used to inhibit unintentional activation ofemergency release system 30. That is, as will be explained below,deliberate action must be taken after engagement of stop 60 in order tocontinue activation of emergency release system 30. In some embodiments,a spring may be included and used to bias handle 38 toward a deactivatedposition. For example, the spring may extend between housing 54 andhandle 38 and/or between housing 54 and cam 56. Alternatively, thespring may be associated with latch 42 and configured to act on handle38 remotely (e.g., through cable 50). Other spring configurations mayalso be possible.

FIGS. 6-8 illustrate exemplary steps involved in manually actuatingemergency release system 30. As shown in FIG. 6, the first step may beto lift a distal end of handle 38, thereby causing handle 38 to pivotforward in a direction represented by an arrow 62. In one embodiment, afinger may be inserted into a recessed space 64 at a distal end ofhandle 38, allowing the finger to push under the distal end and providethe upward force necessary to pivot handle 38.

Handle 38 may pivot in the direction of arrow 62 through a first range,until stop 60 (referring to FIG. 4) is engaged. In the disclosedembodiment, the first range may be about 25° to about 65° (e.g., about40° to about 50° (e.g., about 45°). This pivot range may provide forsufficient space for the person activating actuating emergency releasesystem 30 to wrap a hand around handle 38 in preparation for the nextstep in the activation process. In some embodiments, the pivoting ofhandle 38 through the first range may not correspond with a pivotingmovement of cam 56 and/or pulling of cable 50. For example, an end ofcable 50 may slip through a slot in cam 56 during this initial pivotingmovement of handle 38, without any force being exerted on cable 50. Inthis manner, the pivoting of handle 38 through the first range maysimply be a preliminary step that is required for actuation, but doesn'tactually result in actuation.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second step may be performed after stop 60 hasbeen engaged and further pivoting of handle 38 is thereby inhibited.Specifically, the second step may include the translating (e.g.,pulling) of handle 38 in a direction away from pivot pin 58 andgenerally aligned with an arrow 66. By pulling handle 38 in thisdirection, stop 60 may be surmounted and subsequent pivoting of handle38 may be possible.

As shown in FIG. 8, the third and final step may be performed aftertranslation of handle 38 in the direction of arrow 66. In particular,the final step may include further pivoting of handle 38 in thedirection of arrow 62 through a second range. In the disclosedembodiment, the second range may be about equal to the first range. Forexample, the second range may be about 25° to 65° (e.g., about 40° toabout 50° (e.g., about 45°), such that handle 38 is generally pointingupward at about a 90° angle relative to upper surface 36. As handle 38is pivoted through the second range, a corresponding pulling force maybe exerted on cable 50. The second pivot range may provide fortranslation of cable 50 sufficient to remove the pawl from lever 44,thereby unlocking latch 42.

In some embodiments, a fluorescent surface 68 may be affixed to anunderside of handle 38 (or another internal mechanism of action 48). Inthis manner, the activated status of handle 38 may be easily observed bysomeone inside and/or outside of automobile 10.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to inhibit resetting ofemergency release system 30. In particular, it could be possible forsomeone to exit automobile 10 via emergency release system 30 during anelectrical power disruption and to subsequently close the correspondingdoor. Thereafter, if emergency release system were allowed tounintentionally reset, it would be difficult to regain entry toautomobile 10 without breaking window 34 (assuming window 34 is closedat the time). For this reason, a reset blocking mechanism 70 may beprovided that inhibits unintentional resetting of emergency releasesystem 30. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, reset blocking mechanism 70includes a spring-actuated pin located within a base of handle 38. Uponpivoting handle 38 to a fully activated and forward position, the pinmay spring into a blocking position at which handle 38 is blocked fromreturning to its deactivated state. Handle 38 can still be returned toits deactivated state, but only after pushing the pin of reset blockingmechanism 70 back out of the way of handle 38.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made to the disclosed emergencyrelease system and related method. Other embodiments will be apparent tothose skilled in the art from consideration of the specification andpractice of the disclosed emergency release system and related method.It is intended that the specification and examples be considered asexemplary only, with a true scope being indicated by the followingclaims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An emergency release system for a side door of anautomobile, comprising: a latch; a cable; and a handle connected to thelatch via the cable, the handle being pivotal through a first range to astop, translatable to surmount the stop, and pivotal through a secondrange after surmounting the stop to release the latch.
 2. The emergencyrelease system of claim 1, wherein: the handle includes a pivot point;and the handle is translatable in a radial direction away from the pivotpoint.
 3. The emergency release system of claim 1, wherein the firstrange is about 25° to about 65°.
 4. The emergency release system ofclaim 3, wherein the first range is about 40° to about 50°.
 5. Theemergency release system of claim 4, wherein the second range is aboutthe same as the first range.
 6. The emergency release system of claim 1,further including a reset blocking mechanism configured to inhibitunintentional movement of the handle after the handle is pivoted throughthe second range.
 7. The emergency release system of claim 1, furtherincluding a spring configured to provide resistance against movement ofthe handle.
 8. The emergency release system of claim 1, wherein, whenthe handle is exposed to elevated forces, the handle is configured tobreak away from the side door with the cable remaining connected to thehandle.
 9. The emergency release system of claim 1, further including apivot pin connecting the handle to the side door.
 10. The emergencyrelease system of claim 9, wherein the pivot pin is configured to failbefore failure of the handle when the handle is exposed to elevatedforces.
 11. The emergency release system of claim 1, further including afluorescent surface operatively connected to a side of the handle thatis visible only when the handle is in an actuated position.
 12. A doorfor an automobile, comprising: a door panel having an upper surfaceadjacent a window; a hinge located at a first end of the door panel; alatch located at a second end of the door panel; a cable; and a handlemounted to the upper surface of the door panel and connected to thelatch via the cable, the handle being pivotal through a first range to astop, translatable to surmount the stop, and pivotal through a secondrange after surmounting the stop to release the latch.
 13. The door ofclaim 12, further including an electrically powered actuator touchableto initiate unlocking of the latch independent of handle movement. 14.The door of claim 13, wherein the handle is located above theelectrically powered actuator relative to a pull of gravity.
 15. Thedoor of claim 14, wherein the handle is located at a leading end of thedoor.
 16. The door of claim 12, wherein the handle is visible throughthe window from outside of the automobile.
 17. The door of claim 12,wherein the first range is about the same as the second range.
 18. Thedoor of claim 12, further including a reset blocking mechanismconfigured to inhibit unintentional movement of the handle after thehandle is pivoted through the second range.
 19. The door of claim 12,wherein, when the handle is exposed to elevated forces, the handle isconfigured to break away from the door panel with the cable remainingconnected to the handle.
 20. An automobile, comprising: a body defininga front seat opening and a rear seat opening; a front-side doorpivotally connected at a leading end to close off the front seatopening; a first electrically powered actuator touchable to initiateunlocking of the front-side door; a rear-side door pivotally connectedat a trailing end to close off the rear seat opening; a secondelectrically powered actuator touchable to initiate unlocking of therear-side door; and an emergency release system associated with only thefront-side door, the emergency release system including: a latch locatedat a trailing end of the front-side door; a cable; and a handle mountedto the leading end of the front-side door and connected to the latch viathe cable, the handle being pivotal through a first range to a stop,translatable to surmount the stop, and pivotal through a second rangeafter surmounting the stop to release the latch.